Accessory bag having reinforced sidewalls and variable length

ABSTRACT

An accessory bag includes a bottom wall, a front wall and a back wall. The wall is made of flexible material. A pair of side walls extends between the front wall and back wall. A first pair of connection rails extends along the front wall. A second pair of connection rails extends along the back wall. A connection handle includes a first end and a second end. A first connector on the first end is configured to cooperate with the first pair of pair of connection rails. A second connector on the second end is configured to cooperate with the second pair of connection rails. In addition, the connection handle includes a handle.

This application is a Continuation Application of co-pending U.S.application Ser. No. 14/240,933 filed on Feb. 25, 2014, which is aNational Phase of PCT/IB2012/001599 filed on Aug. 17, 2012, which claimsbenefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/527,332, filed on Aug.25, 2011, all of which are hereby expressly incorporated by referenceinto the present application.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to accessory bags for items such as sportingequipment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Sports equipment that is being transported with existing non-adjustablebags serves as the substructure of the bag's bottom structure. Thesubstructure of the bag disappears when the equipment inside the bag isshorter than the total length of the bag. This results in a non-linearbag structure. Therefore, the bag will be partly dragged with the fabricagainst the ground rather than rolling on wheels attached to the bag.This results in high wear on the fabric and more difficulttransportation of the bag for the user. This problem is common amongskiers and snowboarders because skies and snowboards come in allvarieties of length, but existing non-adjustable ski and snowboard bagsonly come in a few lengths options.

Protection of the gear is the most important function for a sportsequipment bag. The gear inside the bag is often highly expensive and isnot designed for the stress that may occur during transportation. Weightis a key factor for traveling with sports equipment on airplanes. Weightlimitations are becoming increasingly strict, and overweight fees can beextensively high. Protection and weight are two factors that are notaddressed very well in existing products.

Accessory bags for sports equipment, such as skis and snowboards must beable to protect the contents, especially if the bags are going to beused to transport equipment on commercial airline flights, where checkedbags are subjected to automated machinery. If the overall length of thebag is greater than the equipment stored inside, the equipment can movewithin the bag, increasing the likelihood of damage. Moreover, accessorybags take up too much space wen not being used.

It is an object of the invention to provide an accessory bag having anadjustable length for the transportation of equipment.

It is another object of the invention to provide an accessory bag havingreinforced side walls adding protection for the contents withoutinterfering with the ability for the bag to be rolled.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide an accessory baghaving a connection handle maintaining the bag in position whenpartially or fully rolled and also providing a handle for facilitatingtransport of the bag.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent to one ofordinary skill in the art after reading the following disclosure of theinvention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The length adjustment system includes two main components; theconnection rails and the connection handle. The connection rails includetwo parallel lines of webbing along the whole length of the bag on boththe top and bottom of the bag. This webbing has sewed-in loops that makeit possible to fasten the buckles that are placed on the connectionhandle anywhere along the connection rail.

The connection handle includes a handle, two lines of webbing and fourbuckles. The webbing is fastened to the handle at the sides matching thewidth of the connection rails. Two buckles are sewed on to the webbingon both sides close to the handle. These two buckles are non-adjustableand make up the part of the handle that will be connected to theconnection rails on the bottom of the bag. These two buckles arepermanently fixed to the webbing by, for instance, sewing the bucklewithin a loop formed at the end of the webbing. In this way, the bucklecannot fall off of the webbing or be taken off of the webbing by theuser. The other two buckles are attached to the webbing on the otherside of the handle. The webbing on this side is much longer, and thebuckles are adjustable and can slide along the webbing. These twobuckles will be attached to the connection rail on the topside of thebag. All four buckles have a hook function like found on bouldering padsand carabineers.

When equipment is placed inside the bag, the front of the bag is rolledin to the desired length. The two non-adjustable buckles on theconnection handle are then attached to two corresponding loops on thebottom connection rails. The two adjustable buckles on the connectionhandle are then attached to two corresponding loops on the topconnection rails. The adjustable buckles on the connection handle arethen tightened so that the webbing on the handle creates tension in boththe fabric on the top of the bag through the top connection rails, andtension in the fabric on the bottom through the bottom connection rails.This tension holds the rolled up fabric in place and creates a rigidstructure.

Increased protection results from a three-stage rib construction that isimplanted in both the sidewalls and the bottom structure of the bag.When the length adjustment system is tightened, it is designed to createtension in the fabric on the top and the bottom structure of the bag.The tension on the top (transferred through the top connection rails)causes the vertical sidewalls with built in protection ribs to rise upand create a protection cage for the equipment that is inside the bag.The tension that goes to the bottom structure (transferred through thebottom connection rails) tightens the horizontal ribs close to theequipment and creates protection against impact from below. Thisprotective three-stage rib construction creates a protection cage forthe equipment that is inside the bag. This cage will hold the same shapecreating the same level of protection regardless of whether the bag itfully packed or not. The three-stage rib construction offers extensiveprotection at very low weight. This allows a significant reduction infabric and padding, which result in a lower production cost and a lowertotal weight for products.

The length adjustment system will always provide a rigid and stiffsubstructure due to the perfect fit. This allows the wheels on the bagto be in contact with the ground at all times and prevents theoccurrence of a non-linear collapsed bag where the bag will be partlydragged with the fabric against the ground rather than rolling on thewheels.

The three-stage rib construction allows both of the sidewalls tocollapse onto the bottom wall when the bag is empty. When the sidewallsare folded down, the bag can be rolled in all the way, making the baglook like a compressed cylinder. The connection handle providesadditional compression and holds the bag in its cylindrical shape. Italso provides a handle to carry the compressed bag.

The length adjustment three-stage rib construction creates accessorybags that can be used for several types of equipment, including sportequipment such as skies, snowboards, wakeboards, kiteboards andsurfboards. However, it should be understood that this invention canalso be used for equipment in other industries.

Further scope of applicability of the present invention will becomeapparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, itshould be understood that the detailed description and specificexamples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, aregiven by way of illustration only, since various changes andmodifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will become more fully understood from thedetailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawingswhich are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitativeof the present invention, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front view of the accessory bag;

FIG. 2 is a back view of the accessory bag;

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the accessory bag;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a top half of the accessory bag;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the accessory bag partially rolled;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the accessory bag partially rolled witha connection handle attached;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the accessory bag fully rolled; and

FIG. 8 depicts the connection handle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention will now be described with reference to theaccompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar elements areidentified with the same reference numeral.

The front wall 12 of the accessory bag is depicted in FIG. 1. The frontwall 12 is formed by a front panel 52 secured to the sides of the bag bya pair of zippers 54. The zippers allow the front panel 52 to be pulledback to provide access to the interior of the accessory bag. A pair ofhandles 58 may extend across the top of the front panel 52. The handles58 provide an easy grasping point when the accessory bag is lifted inthe unfolded state. The handles 58 extend across the front panel 52 andmay be formed by straps that are secured to the side walls of the bag. Apair of connection rails 56 extends along the length of the front wall12. The connection rails 56 are formed by a strip of material formingloops, allowing for the easy attachment of a connection handle 40 (seeFIG. 8) anywhere along the length of the front panel 52, as will also beexplained later.

FIG. 2 depicts the back wall 14 of the accessory bag. As seen, thebottom wall 20 of the accessory bag is provided with wheels 24 so thatthe accessory bag may be easily transported when in the unfolded state.The back wall 14 of the accessory bag is provided with a second pair ofconnection rails 66. Similar to the first pair of connection rails 56,the second pair of connection rails 66 is formed by a strip of materialconnected intermittently to the back wall 14 of the bag to provide loopsallowing for the connection of the connection handle 40. The secondconnection rails 66 are placed on the back wall 14 to be aligned withthe first connection rails 56 when the accessory bag is rolled.

The bottom wall 20 of the bag is clearly seen in FIG. 3. As mentionedpreviously, the bottom wall 20 of the bag is provided with wheels 24 toallow easy transport of the bag. A hard plastic platform 26 provides arigid attachment point for the wheels 24 so that the accessory bag canbe wheeled across hard surfaces. The platform 24 may be L-shaped toextend along both the back wall 14 and bottom wall 20. The platform 24may extend across the entire width of the accessory bag to providerigidity to the corner where the bottom wall 20 meets the back wall 14.A single loop 28 is provided on each side of the bottom 20 forattachment of the connection handle 40 when the bag is in the fullyrolled state, as will be explained later. The loops 28 may be made offlexible or rigid material.

The bottom 20 and/or the back wall 14 of the accessory bag could includevarious straps to secure the sports equipment therein. For instance, thebottom 20 and or the back wall 14 of the bag could include a pair ofloops for receiving a pair of skis and for catching the bindings of theskis. When the skis are inside the accessory bag is rolled in to thedesired length, starting at the top 22. Two non-adjustable buckles 48 onthe connection handle 40 are then attached to two corresponding loops ofthe second pair of connection rails 66 on the back wall 14. The twoadjustable buckles 48 on the connection handle 40 are then attached totwo corresponding loops of the first pair of connection rails on thefront wall 12.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the top half of the accessory bag. Thefirst pair of connection rails 56 are clearly seen as a strip ofmaterial selectively attached to the front panel 52 to create a seriesof loops extending along the length of the accessory bag. In addition,the second pair of connection rails 66 on the back wall 14 of theaccessory bag are partially visible. The side walls 16 extending betweenthe front panel 52 and the back wall 14 tapers toward the top 22. It isnoted that there are two side walls 16, which are formed integrally withthe back wall 14. The two side walls 16 include zippers that cooperatewith the zippers 54 on the front panel 52. While the side wall may nottaper and have a distinct top edge, the tapering of the bag towards thetop 22 facilitates rolling of the bag from the top 22 towards the bottomwall 20.

FIG. 5 depicts the accessory bag with the top 22 partially rolledtowards the bottom wall 20 and the front panel 52 partially open. Thesteps are not shown for purposes of clarity. A flap 59 connected to thebottom wall 20 of the accessory bag is seen. This flap 59 has aconnector, such as a hook and loop fastener, on a front surface tocooperate with a mating connector on the outer surface of the frontpanel 52 to help maintain the front panel 52 in the closed position whenthe zippers 54 are closed. The flap may also be attached to and extendfrom the front panel 52 and connect to the bottom wall with matingconnectors, such as a hook and loop fastener. The first connection rails56 are clearly seen in this view. In addition, it is seen how rolling ofthe accessory bag exposes the second pair of connection rails 66 of theback wall 14 of the accessory bag. When rolled, the second pair ofconnection rails 66 on the back wall 14 align with the first pair ofconnection rails 56 on the front wall 12.

Also seen in the view is a plurality of pockets 70 in the side wall 16at the bottom half of the side wall 16. The pockets retain ribs 8 toprovide extra strength and rigidity to the accessory bag and, by notbeing provided in the top half of the side wall 16, do not interferewith the rolling of the accessory bag. Although only one rib 8 is shownin FIG. 5, the back wall 14 can also include a plurality of ribs 8spaced along at least the bottom half of the accessory bag as well. Theribs 8 on the back wall 14 provide additional rigidity to accessory bag.It is also noted that the ribs 8 of the back wall 14 can be providedalong a majority of the length of the accessory bag, since the additionof such additional ribs will not interfere with the rolling of theaccessory bag from the top 22. The ribs 8 may be made from any suitablematerial, such as plastic. The ribs 8 may be removable, or the pocketscan be sewn shut to permanently retain the ribs. When equipment isplaced in the accessory bag and the accessory bag is rolled to have theappropriate length for the size of the equipment, the equipment cannotmove within the accessory bag. The equipment and ribs 8 cooperate toprovide structural integrity to the accessory bag so that, even thoughthe accessory bag is made of flexible material, the accessory bag can berolled on the wheels 24.

FIG. 6 is similar to FIG. 5, but shows the front panel 52 in a closedposition and the connection handle 40 attached to both connection rails56, 66 in order to maintain the bag in the partially rolled position.The connection handle 40, to be explained in more detail later, has apair of adjustable G-shaped buckles 48 engaging a loop of the first pairof connection rails 56. The buckles are connected to straps 42, 44 witha similar buckle 48, preferably non-adjustable, on the opposite endengaging a loop on the second pair of connection rails 66. A handle 46extends between the two straps 42, 44 to provide a convenient place forgrasping by the user and to form the connection handle into a singlepiece. The buckles 48 can be attached to any loop that is convenientdepending on the extent the accessory bag has been rolled. In addition,the adjustable buckles 48 can be adjusted to ensure that rolled portionof the top 22 of the accessory bag is tight, so that the equipmentinside the accessory bag forms a rigid structure with the bag.

FIG. 7 shows the accessory bag in the fully rolled position. Tocompletely roll the bag, the front panel 52 can be opened, allowing theside walls 16 to collapse onto the back wall 14. This creates asubstantially flat configuration to facilitate rolling. In the fullyrolled position, the back wall 14 forms the exterior of the roll.Therefore, only the second pair of connection rails 66 are accessible.The connection handle 40 is connected to a loop of the pair of secondconnection rails 66 with the adjustable buckle being connected to theloop 28 provided on the bottom wall 20 of the bag, as was discussedearlier with reference to FIG. 3. In this configuration, the connectionhandle 40 maintains the rolled state of the accessory bag and provides ahandle 46 for easy transport of the accessory bag.

FIG. 8 shows the connection handle 40 having a pair of straps 42, 44.The connection handle 40 has a first end provided with connectors thatare fixed to the straps 42, 44 and a second end having connectors thatare adjustably connected to the straps. A G-shaped buckle 48 used as theconnector is provided on each end of the strap 42, 44. While a G-shapedbuckle is shown, any suitable connector for mating with the connectionrails may be used. A handle 46 extends between the two straps 42, 44 toprovide a convenient grasping point for the user and to connect the twostraps 42, 44 together to form a single piece. In addition, a shoulderstrap (not shown) can be attached to the connection handle 40 for addedconvenience of the user.

While the invention has been described with reference to a preferredembodiment, variations and modification would be apparent to one ofordinary skill in the art. The invention encompasses such variations andmodifications.

I claim:
 1. An accessory bag, comprising: a back wall, the back wallhaving a bottom edge, a top edge and a pair of side edges; a firstconnection rail on the back wall, the first connection rail extendingparallel to the pair of side edges of the back wall; a front wall abovethe back wall, the front wall having a bottom edge, a top edge and apair of side edges; a second connection rail on the front wall, thesecond connection rail extending parallel to the pair of side edges ofthe front wall, the second connection wall vertically aligned with thefirst connection rail; and a connector releasably attached to the firstconnection rail and second connection rail.
 2. The accessory bag ofclaim 1, further comprising a zipper closure in the front wall.
 3. Theaccessory bag of claim 1, wherein the connector comprises a strap havinga first end and a second end, the first end having a first bucklereleasably coupled to the first connection rail and the second endhaving a second buckle releasably coupled to the second connection rail.4. The accessory bag of claim 1, further comprising: a third connectionrail on the back wall, the third connection rail being parallel to thefirst connection rail; and a fourth connection rail on the front wall,the third connection rail being parallel to the second connection rail.5. The accessory bag of claim 1, wherein the first connection rail andthe second connection rail each comprise a plurality of loops.
 6. Theaccessory bag of claim 1, wherein the first connection rail extendsoutwardly from the back wall and the second connection rail extendsoutwardly from the front wall.
 7. The accessory bag of claim 1, whereinthe first connection rail extends an entire length of the back wall andthe second connection rail extends an entire length of the front wall.8. The accessory bag of claim 1, further comprising reinforcing ribs inthe side wall.
 9. The accessory bag of claim 1, wherein the connectorattaches to the first connection rail and second connection rail tomaintain the accessory bag in a collapsed position.
 10. The accessorybag of claim 1, wherein a length between the top edge and bottom edge ofthe front wall is greater than a width between the side edges of thefront wall.
 11. An accessory bag, comprising: a back wall, the back wallhaving a bottom edge, a top edge and a pair of side edges; a firstconnection rail on the back wall, the first connection rail extendingparallel to the pair of side edges of the back wall; a front wall, thefront wall having a bottom edge, a top edge and a pair of side edges;and a second connection rail on the front wall, the second connectionrail extending parallel to the pair of side edges of the front wall, thesecond connection wall vertically aligned with the first connectionrail, wherein the accessory bag has a collapsed position having aportion of the back wall overlie a portion of the front wall, whereinthe first connection rail is aligned with the second connection railwhen the accessory bag is in the collapsed position, and wherein thefirst connection rail and second connection rail are releasablyconnected to one another when the accessory bag is in the collapsedposition.
 12. The accessory bag of claim 11, wherein the firstconnection rail and second connection rail are releasably connected toone another by a connector.
 13. The accessory bag of claim 12, whereinthe connector comprises a strap having a first end and a second end, thefirst end having a first buckle releasably coupled to the firstconnection rail and the second end having a second buckle releasablycoupled to the second connection rail.
 14. The accessory bag of claim11, further comprising reinforcing ribs in the side wall.
 15. Theaccessory bag of claim 11, wherein a length between the top edge andbottom edge of the front wall is greater than a width between the sideedges of the front wall.
 16. An accessory bag, comprising: a back wall,the back wall having a bottom edge, a top edge and a pair of side edges;a first connection rail on the back wall; a front wall, the front wallhaving a bottom edge, a top edge and a pair of side edges; and a secondconnection rail extending the entire length of the front wall; a bottomwall extending between the back wall and the front wall; a pair of sidewalls extending between the back wall and the front wall; and aresealable closure, wherein the accessory bag has a collapsed positionhaving a portion of the back wall overlie a portion of the front wall,and wherein the first connection rail and second connection rail arereleasably connected to one another when the accessory bag is in thecollapsed position.
 17. The accessory bag of claim 16, wherein theresealable closure is in the front wall.
 18. The accessory bag of claim16, wherein the resealable closure is a zipper.
 19. The accessory bag ofclaim 16, further comprising reinforcing ribs in the side wall.
 20. Theaccessory bag of claim 16, wherein a length between the top edge andbottom edge of the front wall is greater than a width between the sideedges of the front wall.